[kitski]

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Imperial Palace opens Fukiage area to public for 1st time

The Imperial Household Agency organized a nature-observing event in the Imperial Palace's Fukiage woodland area on Friday, allowing the general public to walk through the area for the first time. A total of 100 people in three groups walked a 1-kilometer route in the 25-hectare park, which abounds in natural beauty, and has been left almost untouched for about 70 years, agency officials said.

The visitors were selected via a lottery from among more than 30,000 applicants seeking to take part in the rare event. Emperor Akihito proposed organizing the event in observance of the four-week "Greenery period" created on the basis of last August's Cabinet decision, saying he wants to share the experience of enjoying Fukiage's natural beauty with the public, the agency officials said.



Kutaragi, father of PlayStation series, to quit Sony Computer board

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc said Thursday that Chairman Ken Kutaragi, known as the father of the PlayStation game console series, will resign from the post and leave the firm's board on June 19, when his tenure as a board member expires.

Kutaragi, 56, is credited with having played a leading role in founding Sony Computer Entertainment and made the PlayStation video game console into a blockbuster hit in households across the world.